Heirs of War, Crown of Flames

by Mara Valderran

  The real Cedwen put his arm around her and guided her to the bed, then turned back to the Duillaine. “What is she talking about?”

  “You said your caravan was attacked. Tell us.” Sylvanna signaled to Meridel, who knelt down in front of him and took his hands.

  “Close contact to be sure,” Meridel said and nodded at Cedwen. “How did you end up in Baileton?”

  He shifted his pained gaze away from Zelene to focus on Meridel. He didn’t answer at first, his face pinched in concentration. “My party was intercepted on the road. They left me for dead. Some slave traders found me, nursed me back to health, and then sold me to the fights.”

  “Why didn't you tell them who you really were?” Meridel asked.

  “Do you honestly think the slave traders care about the identities of those they sell? The only thing they cared about was how much coin they could get for me.” He glanced to Zelene, worried. “If you have someone claiming to be Prince Cedwen of Tremain, son of King Braxton and Queen Bethany, then I regret to inform you that he is your traitor.”

  “He's either telling the truth or a very skilled liar,” Meridel said and rose to her feet. “I'm afraid that it makes sense that the Cedwen we know is the traitor. He's been spying on us this entire time. He watched us all. He knew us so well. Well enough to know he could lure Nandalia away, and well enough to try to lure Zelene with Kyle.”

  Sylvanna still looked hesitant to believe it all. “We must find him,” she finally said.

  “Zelene, you stay here and do not leave this room,” Solanna said, anger radiating from her. “Varrick,” she called out, knowing he was near. She didn't even start when he appeared in the doorway. “Go and alert the Siegwards to this new development, and your fellow Cynewards. Have them all search the city and spread the word, but discretely. He is a Cahiran, so we do not want to underestimate him. Once he is spotted, we should be alerted and it will be left to us to deal with him. Understood?”

  “You can't go after him yourselves,” Varrick said incredulously.

  Solanna's hands went to her hips. “I believe you will find us to be more than a match for him, Cyneward.”

  “Have you forgotten Nandalia so quickly?” he hissed as he stepped closer, urging her to see reason. “She believed herself to be a match for the Cahirans and she paid for that mistake with her life. We don't know what sort of nasty tricks he might have up his sleeve. Let the Cynewards take care of this,” he begged her.

  Solanna's eyes were ablaze when they flashed to Varrick. “That Cahiran boy is the reason my sister is dead. He will meet his end by my hand. The Cahirans have taken too much from me, Varrick. You know that. I will not let this slide. I'll search Zelene's room. Sylvanna, check his quarters. Meridel, this boy is the one who taught Zelene to dress as one of the Tainted. He does it as well. Check the servants’ quarters and the kitchens.”

  “You can't go alone,” Varrick insisted.

  “My Cyneward is watching me, Varrick.” Solanna gestured to the small blue bird perched on the windowsill. “If you think you can do a better job, then feel free to tag along, but do not get in my way when we find him.” She started to brush past him and glowered up at him when he stepped in her way.

  “She gave you an order, Cyneward. I suggest you take it,” Sylvanna said before moving to the door.

  Varrick gave Zelene a pained look, and then glanced back to Solanna. “Zelene—”

  “Go,” Zelene encouraged him. “I know you've been doing your Cyneward spying thing when I'm with him, so you know our hideouts. Find him before he hurts someone, Varrick. I'll be fine here. Isauria's right down the hall, which means Liam will be close by if there's trouble.”

  Varrick stepped away, allowing the Duillaine Banair to pass. With one more torn glance back at his ward, he shut her in the room and raced off with Solanna.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Ellowyn moved through her chores, distracted by her interview with the Council and Duillaine. They claimed it was for a security check since the girls returned, but she knew better. They were looking for the traitor Nolan had told them about, and she could only hope that they were close to finding the culprit. When Varrick and Solanna burst into Zelene's room, she realized they must have been closer than she thought.

  “Have you seen Cedwen?” Varrick demanded of her.

  “No. Why? Is everything all right? Where's Zelene?”

  “She's safe,” he answered impatiently and ran a quick search of the room, opening cabinets and checking in the bathroom.

  “What's going on?”

  Solanna stepped forward, taking the young girl's hands into her own, which startled Ellowyn even further. “It's fine, Ellowyn. We have discovered that Prince Cedwen might not actually be who he claims to be. He might be a Cahiran impostor. The man you have been caring for in the leigheas claims to be the true Prince Cedwen.”

  Ellowyn blinked rapidly as she tried to take all of this in. “Why are you telling me this?”

  Solanna gripped her hands tighter. “Because you have been a great friend to my niece and you should be warned.”

  “Stay here—” Varrick started to urge her. He was interrupted when a dark skinned man with graying hair and age spots coloring his round cheeks burst into the room. “It's about time!”

  The older man wore the same uniform as Varrick, which Ellowyn knew made him a Cyneward. “I was checking the other rooms on this floor,” the man explained and approached Solanna.

  “Cael,” she said, meeting him halfway. “Do you know who Prince Cedwen is?”

  Cael clasped his hands behind his back and bowed his head. “He is the boy Ainnir Zelene has been spending time with. Is that who we search for?”

  “Yes,” Solanna said urgently. “Varrick, you can move faster without me. Go and search the hideouts Zelene mentioned. Cael will stay with me. Ellowyn, it's safer if you remain here. Alert us at once if you come across him but do not let him know he has been found. That is very important. Do you understand?”

  “I do,” Ellowyn said and swallowed her anxiety. “Don't let him hurt Zelene.”

  Solanna patted her cheek. “We won't.”

  “Thank you.” Ellowyn nodded and watched them rush out of the room. She felt her stomach flip, sick over the idea that she had spent so much time with an enemy, with someone that would bring harm to Zelene. How many times had she encouraged him to be patient with Zelene? How many times had she chided Zelene for hiding from him and not giving him a chance? Ellowyn trusted Cedwen—she even liked him. Was she really that poor a judge of character that a Cahiran could be under her nose and she would never know?

  She lowered herself to the floor, returning to the task of sorting out Zelene’s laundry. She stopped, mid-action, when the door opened. Her gaze slowly lifted from the floor, taking in every inch of him starting with his shoes all the way up to the way his mouth, which was twisted with amusement as he stared down at her.

  “Are you alright, Ellowyn? You look almost as pale as Zelene,” he teased.

  She felt her skin crawl at the way he said her name, but she forced herself to speak. “I thought I saw a spider.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you are absolutely adorable when you're scared?” He walked over and squatted down beside her. “Here, let me help you. Then if you'd like, I can go spider hunting,” he said and rested his hand on her shoulder.

  “No!” Ellowyn jumped up, unable to mask her fear for the Cahiran staring at her curiously. “I'm sorry.”

  He paused, noticing her trembling hands. “Ellowyn,” he said, rising to his feet and stepped forward with concern, “you're positively shaking.”

  She took an involuntary step back, hiding her shaking hands behind her back. “It gave me a real fright, that's all. Perhaps I should let you try to find it while I see to other duties elsewhere.”

  She started for the door but he stepped in front of her. “Have you seen Zelene? She was supposed to meet me in the ballroom but she didn't show up. I'm worried abo
ut her.”

  Her throat was thick with fear. “I, uh, haven't seen her. Maybe she was just running late.”

  “The Siegwards seem to be running around almost as if they're looking for someone,” he said darkly. “Do you know anything about that? If Zelene's in trouble, I would very much so like to know.”

  “No,” she answered in a shaky voice, clearing her throat to get more control. “The Siegwards hardly see it fit to tell one of the Tainted as to their dealings. I should go,” she tried to step around him but his hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. “Cedwen, really,” she tried to say lightly even though her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

  “Is Zelene in the leigheas?”

  “No,” she answered quickly, “she's on the way to the ballroom to meet you.” She could feel his lips on her skin when he let out a sigh. She cut her eyes to sideways to him and she felt herself quiver under his gaze. His usually kind eyes hardened significantly though there was a hint of regret in them.

  “Why are you lying to me, Ellowyn?” he asked her softly. He reached out and stroked her cheek. “Haven't I always been a friend to you? And now here you are, conspiring to keep Zelene away from me. Why is that?” When she didn't answer, his hand snapped down to her chin, gripping it with his thumb and finger. “Answer me!”

  Staring up into his angry face, she knew that there was no getting out of this. She felt the sting of his betrayal in her eyes as they darkened, now full of hatred.

  “Why?” he asked her, his voice cracking at the hatred reflected back through her dark orbs.

  “To keep her safe from you,” she said through her clenched jaw.

  He shook his head remorsefully and then slid his hand to her cheek, stroking it lovingly. He took her completely by surprise when he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. Just as quickly, his hand covered her mouth and nose, and the other twisted her around to where her back was to him. He locked his arm around her neck, cutting off her windpipe. She struggled against his hold and he hugged her closer to his body, the heat of her breath on the skin of his palm as she gasped for air.

  “I am so sorry, Ellowyn,” he murmured into her hair. He tightened his grip on her when she began to thrash around. “I really liked you. You always seemed to be on my side and I always appreciated that. And when we win the war, things could have been different between us. We would have been equals then. But I can't have you turning her against me, Ellowyn. If my plan is to work, I need Zelene.” She stilled in his arms but he held her tight still.

  Ellowyn watched in horror from outside her body as her murderer held her tenderly in his arms. He let the arm that had been crushing her neck fall so that his hand rested over her quieted heart. He lowered her to the ground, folding her hands over her abdomen and kissing her head one last time. “I really wish it could have been different,” he said to her. “But this is bigger than you and me.” He stood up, wiping a tear from his eye before stealing out the door.

  ***

  Zelene sat on the edge of the bed watching her patient pace the room. She couldn't help but refer to him as 'The Real Cedwen' in her head. He had been pacing since the Duillaine left them, his mouth pulled down in thought as the wheels in his head turned.

  “If steam starts coming out of your ears, I am really going to start believing that my life is a twisted cartoon,” she remarked, ignoring how his frown deepened with confusion at her statement. “Would you sit down? You're freaking me out! I mean, freaking me out even more since I'm still sort of tripping over the idea that you're really Cedwen and the guy I've been hanging out with and confiding in is really some teenage assassin hell-bent on murdering me.”

  “Imagine how I feel learning that someone has been pretending to be me,” he replied as he leaned against the wall. “A me that I can't even remember being.”

  “I thought you remembered everything.”

  “I remember enough,” he clarified. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes sparkling as usual, but dulled by hurt. “Why didn't you tell me?”

  “It's like I said before. It was nice to have someone who didn't treat me different. I didn't know about any of this until a few months ago. They took us to Dhara when I was a baby, and no one thought to fill me in along the way. And now they just throw us right back into the thick of it,” she said bitterly. “I didn't ask for this, and I liked that I didn’t have to think about any of it with you.”

  Cedwen walked over and knelt in front of her, his hand resting on her knee. “It's not bad to want for yourself. I understand that you didn't ask for this responsibility. But know that the people didn't ask for you either. I'm sure if they had to choose between a ruler that wanted to lead them and one that resented the position, they wouldn't choose the latter.”

  She begrudgingly nodded her head, wondering if she would ever vote for someone like Sylvanna for president. “It's not that I didn't trust you,” she rushed out, placing her hand over his. “It's just that you're the first friend I had to earn and that felt . . . nice. And it was a lot less awkward before I found out that it's actually you I might be forced to marry one day.” She wrinkled her nose and pulled her hand away from his. “No offense.”

  He chuckled and lifted his hands in surrender. “I suppose it's nice to know that there would be a fair amount of arm twisting involved if I were to pick you. Maybe your twin will be easier to convince.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Tell you what, I'll hook you up after we rescue her.” She clamped her hand over her mouth in shock, silently berating herself. She couldn't believe that she had turned out to be the one to slip up about their plan when she had spent so much time worrying about the others doing just that. “Forget I said that.”

  “I might have if not for that reaction,” he said, puzzled. He was about to question her further when the sound of yelling echoed down the hallway. He rose to his feet and held out a hand to signal Zelene to stay put while he crept to the door to investigate.

  Zelene stood up and sniffed the air around her. “Is that smoke?”

  She peered around him, astonished to find very controlled flames lining the hallway and creating a wall of fire on either side of them, blocking them in. Something hit Cedwen in the chest, sending him flying across the room. He collided with the wall beside his bed and sank down to the ground. Zelene rushed to his side and pulled him into her arms.

  “Cedwen,” she urged him, slapping his cheek. “Cedwen, you have to wake up.” Her worry shifted to pure anger as she saw peripherally someone step into the doorway. She slowly lifted her head to glare at the traitor. “You better hope to whatever gods you pray to that he's okay.”

  “And why is that?” asked the Cahiran spy.

  “Because it will mean the difference between a slow death or a quick one,” she answered darkly. She lowered the real Cedwen gently to the floor, the blood from his head smearing across her neck and chest like war paint, and stood to face the imposter she had called a friend. “So what should I call you? I mean, now that we know the name Cedwen is already taken.”

  He held up his hands like a white flag. “My name is Braddock, son to Kellen of Cahira. I was sent here almost two years ago for the purposes of reporting back anything concerning your scheduled return. When you came back so suddenly, my mission changed once more. I was to gain your trust, grow close to you, and lure you away the night of the Imbolc festival.”

  “To kill me,” she finished for him as she came to a stop in front of the door. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering why Liam hadn't come running to her aid yet.

  “Yes,” he confessed sadly. “But that was before I got to know you, Zelene. I believe we can work together.”

  “Yeah right. In case you forgot, you work for the bad guys, dude.”

  Braddock shook his head, holding his hand out pleadingly. “Just hear me out, Zelene. You have more in common with us than you think. And I think you'll find that our end goals align quite well. We want the same thing
you do—peace and equality for the people. To give them more of a chance than they have with the Duillaine Banair. The people will thrive under Cahiran rule. You could work with us, Zelene! Together we can make that future happen.”

  Zelene took a threatening step forward. “See, there's one big problem there. The ends don't justify your means. I know your methods, remember?” She thought about all of the people she cared about that had been harmed at the hands of the Cahirans. The rage built in her chest as her power swirled around her, just waiting for her call. “You killed my mother. You killed my boyfriend. You personally left Cedwen for dead. You tried to kill me. And Isauria. And Rhaya. And Terrena. Even as we speak, my twin sister is running for her life because the minute your sadistic bitch of a mother catches up with her, she's going to torture her and then she's going to kill her. We both know that.” She took another step closer. “I am one of the most powerful people in all the worlds. I don't need to resort to your methods to change things around here. But I will gladly make an exception for you.”

  “I really wish you would just see reason,” he said with regret, as though he was a parent getting ready to spank his child. His hand snapped out, grabbing her by the throat and his other clamped down on the top of her head. He called forth every element, pulling them through her simultaneously.

  Zelene howled in pain. Her entire body vibrated with power and as it grew she began to convulse uncontrollably. She called out for Liam, for Varrick, for anyone she could think of to help her until he finally released her. She crumpled into a heap on the ground, body curled defensively into itself as he knelt down in front of her.